1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to speed control devices for use with boat motors. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an improved boat motor trolling attachment for use in achieving effective trolling speeds with outboard or inboard/outboard boat motors.
2. The Prior State of the Art
Fishing from boats has been a popular pastime for many years. Typically, fishermen fish from boats in one of several different ways. In one method, the fisherman uses the boat primarily as a means of transportation to a desired fishing area. Upon reaching the fishing area the fisherman shuts off the boat motor and either fishes on the bottom or drifts with the tide, as in the case of saltwater fishermen. With regards to this technique then, the primary purpose of the boat motor is simply to put the fisherman in the desired location.
In another method of fishing commonly known as trolling, the fisherman runs the boat out to a desired location and then slows the boat down so that lures or bait can be moved through the water at a desired speed and depth. The theory behind trolling is that a fish will see the lure or bait moving through the water and will thus be induced to attack the lure or bait, thereby giving the fisherman an opportunity to hook the fish.
In many cases, trolling requires relatively slow boat speeds so that the lures or bait are properly presented to the fish. However, the motors typically found on sport fishing boats are not well suited to achieve the slow boat speeds that effective trolling often demands. Specifically, the typical outboard or inboard/outboard motor is incapable of being throttled down low enough to achieve an effective trolling speed.
The problem of achieving effective trolling speeds with boat motors is not a new one and has plagued fishermen for some time. While attempts have been made to resolve this problem, none of these attempts has been completely effective or satisfactory.
One such attempt at solving this problem has been simply to add an additional motor to the boat. These additional motors, commonly known as trolling motors, are typically low-power motors. The trolling motor is used in place of the boat motor during the trolling operation so that effective trolling speeds can be achieved. Once trolling is complete, the trolling motor is secured and the boat motor is used to move the boat to the next desired location.
While trolling motors are effective in permitting a fisherman to propel the boat through the water at an effective trolling speed, they are problematic in several regards. First, trolling motors can be rather expensive. This problem is particularly acute with relatively larger boats which, because of their size, require relatively larger trolling motors to move the boat at an effective trolling speed. Thus, the fisherman who wants to use his boat for trolling may be forced to incur a significant expenditure in order to do so.
A related problem concerns the maintenance associated with a trolling motor. In particular, use of an additional motor will necessarily increase the amount of time and money spent on maintenance. Thus, the costs associated with a trolling motor are not limited solely to purchase costs but also include maintenance costs as well.
Finally, addition of a trolling motor introduces undesirable operational requirements as well. As previously noted, the typical trolling motor is, by design, used only for trolling. Thus, when the fisherman arrives at the desired location, he has to shut down the boat motor and prepare the trolling motor for operation. When trolling operations have been completed, fishermen must then secure the trolling motor and restart the boat motor. Thus, a fisherman who changes locations frequently throughout the fishing day is forced to spend a significant amount of time switching back and forth between the trolling motor and the boat motor. Clearly, this detracts from the amount of time the fisherman has available for fishing.
As suggested above, the use of trolling motors represents only a partial solution to the problem of achieving effective trolling speeds. Accordingly, other attempts have been made to resolve this problem. These attempts focus primarily on the use of some type of plate, i.e., a trolling plate, disposed aft of the boat propeller.
In operation, the blades of the propeller exert a force on the water in the vicinity of the propeller and the boat reacts by moving forward. With the trolling plate in place however, a portion of the force exerted by the propeller blades on the water is transmitted to the trolling plate, which is attached to the boat. Because the trolling plate is attached to the boat, the force transmitted to it by the propeller tends to resist forward motion of the boat. In this way, the trolling plate effects reduced boat speed. While the use of trolling plates has thus proven effective in assisting boat motors to achieve effective trolling speeds, known trolling plates and the trolling plate deployment mechanisms have proven problematic.
One significant problem with many known trolling plates is that they are mechanically complex and utilize a large number of moving parts. Mechanical complexity clearly contributes to increased production costs for these units. More importantly, however, mechanical complexity increases the likelihood of an operational malfunction. This problem becomes particularly acute in a marine environment where the mechanism is exposed to the corrosive effects of seawater. Also, the presence of a multitude of interconnected and moving parts makes these trolling plate assemblies more susceptible to damage in the event of an impact.
Another disadvantage of known trolling plates is that they do not automatically position themselves, but require operator intervention in order for them to be deployed to the trolling position and/or to the inoperative position. For example, some trolling plates require sudden acceleration of the boat motor in order to lift the trolling plate up to an inoperative position. Thus, the operator of the boat is required to adjust motor speed in order to change the position of the trolling plate. At best, this arrangement is inconvenient. At worst, these designs are dangerous, particularly where the operator is maneuvering the boat in close quarters and sudden accelerations could increase the likelihood of a collision.
Still other trolling plates employ a variety of release mechanisms, all of which require intervention by the boat operator in order to move the trolling plate up to an inoperative position. Again, this type of design is at least inconvenient because it requires action on the part of the boat operator. This problem becomes particularly acute where the boat operator is the sole occupant of a boat, because operation of the trolling plate could prove to be a dangerous distraction when the boat is being operated in heavy seas, in areas congested with boats, and/or in areas where there are dangerous natural obstacles.
As suggested earlier, many existing trolling plate designs also require operator intervention to move the trolling plate into the trolling position. For at least the reasons stated elsewhere herein, the requirement of manual operation to deploy the trolling plate to a trolling position is undesirable.
Finally, damage to trolling plates is likely to occur where the trolling plate design requires manual operation to move the trolling plate upward to an inoperative position. In particular, if the trolling plate is locked in the trolling position or stuck in the trolling position due to a malfunction of the deployment mechanism, the trolling plate is likely to bend and/or break when the boat accelerates to and/or maintains a high rate of speed. Note that this problem can also result where the boat operator simply forgets to move the trolling plate to the inoperative position prior to high speed running. Clearly, a broken or bent trolling plate will be generally ineffective in reducing boat speed to the rate required for effective trolling. Further, a bent or broken trolling plate will necessitate the expense of replacement.
At least one attempt has been made to resolve the problem just described. Specifically, one known trolling plate design employs springs to bias the trolling plate downward into the trolling position. Thus, when the boat accelerates to, and maintains, a relatively high rate of speed, the outflow of water generated by the propeller overcomes the bias imposed by the springs and moves the trolling plate up to an inoperative position, without damaging the trolling plate. As discussed in detail below however, this type of trolling plate design represents only a partial solution.
At least one problem with these types of trolling plates concerns their effect on boat control and maneuverability. As previously discussed, these types of trolling plates are biased downward into a trolling position when the boat is traveling at a relatively slow rate of speed. This is true whether the boat is operating in forward or reverse gear. While the trolling plate clearly produces a desirable effect when the boat is traveling in a forward gear, the trolling plate is detrimental to boat control and maneuverability when the boat is traveling in a reverse gear. Specifically, the trolling plate, biased as it is into the trolling position, tends to impede the inflow of water to the boat motor propeller in such a way that reverse motion of the boat is significantly hindered. This is particularly problematic in situations where the use of reverse gear is required for maneuvering near docks, other boats and/or obstructions in the water.
In view of the foregoing problems, what is needed is an improved boat motor trolling attachment. Specifically, the boat motor trolling attachment should be mechanically simple and employ a minimal number of parts. Further, the boat motor trolling attachment should move between the inoperative and trolling positions automatically without requiring any kind of manual operation or intervention. Finally, the boat motor trolling attachment should allow ready maneuvering of the boat at any speed, and in any gear.
The present invention has been developed in response to the current state of the art, and in particular, in response to these and other problems and needs that have not been fully or completely resolved by currently available boat motor trolling attachments. Thus, it is an overall object of the present invention to provide a boat motor trolling attachment that facilitates achievement of trolling speeds with a boat motor while resolving the aforementioned problems. Embodiments of the present invention are particularly suitable for use with outboard motors and outdrives.
In a preferred embodiment, the boat motor trolling attachment comprises a frame defining an opening. A plurality of control members are disposed across the opening defined by the frame. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of control members comprise a plurality of louvers rotatably mounted inside the frame. Preferably, the frame is attached to a mounting bracket so that the frame is disposed aft of the boat motor propeller. Two or more springs attached between the frame and the mounting bracket act to bias the frame downward into a trolling position. In a preferred embodiment, relatively high forward speeds of the boat will overcome the bias imposed on the frame by the springs so that the frame is moved automatically up to an inoperative position.
When the boat motor trolling attachment is deployed in the trolling position, the outflow of water generated by the propeller of the boat motor acts to rotate the louvers in such a way that the louvers collectively close off the opening defined by the frame. By so doing, the louvers collectively form a surface upon which a portion of the force generated by the propeller, acts. This force is transmitted to the boat and partially counteracts the forward motion imposed upon the boat by the propeller. Thus, the surface operates to reduce the speed of the boat to the desired trolling speed. Preferably, one of the louvers defines an aperture which permits a portion of the outflow of water generated by the propeller to pass therethrough so as to enhance responsiveness and maneuverability of the boat when the boat motor is in a forward gear. In reverse gear, the louvers rotate in a direction counter to their direction of rotation in forward gear so that the propeller is able to generate an inflow of water and thereby facilitate responsiveness and maneuverability of the boat in reverse gear.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.